Droid going downhill? Two Critical Issues!

My love affair with my Droid smart phone is falling apart. (Android version 4.1.2) Here are two things I've only discovered recently, and have no idea how long they have been problems. Since these are potentially life-threatening problems, I can't believe they even exist:

1 -- I rarely make calls while driving, but when I do, I use "Voice Activation" to ask Droid to "Call... (the person's name)," since my phone is cradled in a hands-free device. Well, the last time I touched the microphone icon on the phone dialer to do this, a brand new prompt came up. Since I didn't have my glasses on, it was hard to read, but it was asking me to make some kind of choice between two options. Because I couldn't see it well (and because I was driving, of course), I touched the one I recognized as being "Google" something because I know that Google provides (or used to) the phone's voice recognition capabilities. However, the instant I touched it, I realized it didn't say Google "Voice," it said Google "Search!" But it was too late, and now when I touch the microphone icon, NOTHING happens except that my screen flashes. I'm completely unable to make a voice-activated call, and can't find the way to get the prompt back. How do such things get broken? And even more troubling, how can they go so long without being fixed? This could cause havoc on the roads... people trying to drive on the freeway, needing to make a call, and not knowing why their voice activation feature—which always used to work great—is suddenly not working? Is Droid trying to get me killed in a pileup?

2 -- Here's another real doozy... It used to be when I plugged my phone into my car's cig lighter to charge it while driving, the screen would go dim after a minute or two. But it used to be when I touched the screen, it would light up again. Now when I plug the phone into the charger, the screen goes dim, but it doesn't light up again when I touch the screen! I can't see my phone controls at all when it's plugged in! OMG... what a crazy problem... and I know this has been going on for at least several months... and still no fix? I'm not sure at this point my next phone will be a Droid unless these things get fixed and fixed soon. Come on, guys... these are dangerous problems. Please get them straightened out. I want to love my phone again.

Any insights? Thanks

... or??? Are these "issues" created and not fixed on purpose so I'll buy a new phone?

Well you can fix #1 by going into your apps and resetting the defaults for Search. That's not a big deal, and casting it as an actual problem with the phone is an exaggeration, though I'll admit it's inconvenient.

It might help us to help you if you told us what specific Make/Model of Droid you're using.

Okay, I reset the defaults for apps. There was no option to reset just for "Search," so I reset them all, and it worked. Thanks! I would have had no idea how to do that without researching... a slight problem while driving. The question is, why would "Google Search" come up as an option for voice activation? Is that supposed to happen? How does Google search have anything to do with voice?

I thought I'd given my phone info: (Android version 4.1.2) Droid Razr... (I also see the same info right over there to the left). Please tell me what other info you might need. I'd really love to get the undim/touch issue resolved. Thanks again

Your display issues can be corrected by going into your settings menu for the display, and adjusting the screen timeout to the max limit, or NEVER.
I have the droid X, so your screen may be slightly different.

I'm sorry, but the Display settings are over-ridden (by my phone anyway) when plugging the charger in. When I plug my charger in, the screen almost instantly goes dim and there is no bringing it back unless I unplug the charger again. To me, this is completely crazy and needs to be fixed whether it's a problem with the phone or with my settings. As noted previously, the phone never did this before, and only started after some "update" or other. Any other ideas would be most welcome. Thanks

I went to "System Settings/Developer Options." The only thing I saw is "Stay Awake -- Screen will never sleep while charging." It was checked. I unchecked it. I plugged my phone in. Nothing changed. The screen went dim, then after the designated time, it went black. It would not light up again upon touching it. When I first got the phone, it would go dim when plugged in, but light up again upon touching the screen. I need this back! When I'm driving, I need the screen fully lit up so I can see the buttons and controls. I need to touch the screen and have it light up again when it's plugged in for charging... just like the good old days. Is this the Droid Tech Support Forum? Am I going to get any help from a truly, knowledgeable tech person who's going to resolve this problem? Gosh, I hope so. Thanks

While this is the tech support forum, please bear in mind that we're all volunteers here and are just trying to help without necessarily having any formal training. If you feel you need official support I would recommend going through an official forum.

If you've got a Razr, have you checked to make sure you don't have any Smart Actions kicking in that are interfering with your default screen settings?

Oh, I thought this WAS the official forum. What is the official Droid forum address, please? I've reviewed my "Smart Actions," and you may be right... maybe there's something configured in there that's interfering with my default screen settings. I just can't figure out what it is. Thanks

Is this the Droid Tech Support Forum? Am I going to get any help from a truly, knowledgeable tech person who's going to resolve this problem? Gosh, I hope so. Thanks

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Anyone who answers you on this site is just like you. We come here because we like our phones enough to talk about them and, from time to time, help people or seek help. This is not a Verizon paid tech site. If you feel that you need to get a "professional" call Verizon.

Remember, you catch more flies with honey and right now you are using a whole lot of vinegar.

I discovered I somehow had TWO different Smart apps installed and enabled on my phone. I disabled one of them, and it now looks like my dim/touch light feature is working again. Thanks so much for your help!!!